St Andrews
We offer a first class research environment, providing students with what they need to concentrate on their research.
The School of Economics and Finance at the University of St Andrews is part of Scotland's first university, with an established reputation as one of Europe's leading and most distinctive centres for research and teaching. The School is a dynamic research-led School where faculty carries out innovative and path-breaking research in relevant and important issues for individuals and societies. The School aims to deliver outstanding research and teaching in all areas of Economics and Finance and was ranked joint tenth in the UK in terms of research outputs in the Research Excellence Framework in 2014. On the basis of overall satisfaction, we are ranked 6th in the UK in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2021, and taking the last three years together we are ranked 3rd in the NSS. We are also ranked first in the UK in the Times Good University Guide in 2022.
We are proud of the thriving research environment in our School. In addition to the regular School seminar series with external speakers and the weekly staff seminar, the School also runs reading groups, where staff and PhD students present preliminary work. This forum is ideal for the exchange of research ideas and allows students to get feedback on their work from members of staff in a friendly and informal setting. Each year we also run the PhD Conference: this is a doctoral seminar, compulsory for all students, who present their research progress to the whole School.
We offer a first class study environment, providing students with what they need to concentrate on their research. Each student is assigned a desk and computing facilities in an office with other research students. You can view the latest published research output of the School’s staff on the St Andrews research portal. Additional support for postgraduate students is available from St Leonard's College website.
Doctoral study within the School of Economics and Finance at the University of St Andrews is an excellent preparation for careers in different fields. Previous alumni have subsequently followed successful careers in academia, industry, finance, public sector institutions, central banks and international organisations such as the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Research Strengths
We are a dynamic research-led School that aims to undertake research of the highest quality. Our research strengths are in dynamic macroeconomics, choice theory, bounded rationality, game theory, expectations and learning, competition and innovation and climate change. We support the Centre for Dynamic Macroeconomic Analysis (CDMA). We are actively involved in the Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
Entry Requirements
Successful applicants for the PhD will normally already have a good MSc degree equivalent to the School of Economics and Finance’s programmes in Economics or Finance and Economics. Research students are generally expected to have a minimum score of IELTS 6.5 to 7.5 or an equivalent score in another English language test.
Our new students normally start their courses at the end of August, so we suggest completing your application by the end of June in order to allow us time to make a careful decision. If you will need a visa, early application is recommended.
Funding Available
Information about funding available for PhD study in the School of Economics and Finance can be found here. Please return often for news about new opportunities.
More general information on University funding sources can also be found here.
Further Information & Application Procedure
Here are our new PhD Programme web pages, full of information on how to apply to our programme, a list of potential supervisors with their research expertise and detailed supervision topics, and an overview of the PhD years.